Tibet Festival Observed in GenevaMonday, 6 October 2008, 1:46 p.m.
Geneva: La Porte du Tibet, a Geneva-based Tibet Support Group and City of Onex in the French speaking part of Switzerland organized a one day Tibet Festival on 4 October. The main aim was to create awareness of Tibet’s unique cultural and the plight of Tibetans in occupied Tibet. Geneva is a city with host of International institutions with multicultural inhabitants.
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| (from left) Phuntsog Nyidron, Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen, Drongshar Tenzin Wangmo, translator in French. |
Mr. Kelsang Gyaltsen, the Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama briefed the local politicians including the mayor of Commune de Pla-les-Ouates on the Sino-Tibetan dialogue and the deteriorating situation inside Tibet.Both Mr. Kelsang Gyaltsen and Ms. Phuntsog Nyidron, a former political prisoner and the recipient of 1995 Rebook Human Rights Award addressed over 100 audiences during the afternoon conference. Envoy Mr. Gyaltsen spoke about the ongoing dialogue with China and also the appalling human rights situation in Chinese occupied Tibet following March 10th uprisings. Ms. Phuntsog Nyidron narrated her personal experience of torture for over 15 years in Chinese prison in Tibet. While in prison she was regularly electrocuted with live electrical wires attached to her fingers and beaten by iron rod and live electric-prod. When she fell unconscious, cold water was splashed at her face to wake her up by the prison guards. During these horrific tortures, not a drop of water was given to her. Also during the initial month in prison, the prison guards poked shoe-sewing machine needles on her fingers. She also said that Chinese prison guards treated Tibetans even worse than animals. Ms. Nyidron was arrested along with other Tibetans nuns for shouting “Long Live the Dalai Lama” and “Free Tibet”. She was released from prison in 2004 but remain at home under constant Chinese police surveillance for two years. In March 2006, she was allowed to travel to United States of America to receive medical treatment due to ill health as a result of torture while in custody. She now lives in Switzerland.
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| Yak dance during cultural show to public. |
A Tibetan cultural evening was performed by a group of Tibetan artists lead by Mr. Nelung Tsering Topten from Switzerland. The group entertained the audience with different Tibetan traditional songs, dance including the famous Yak dance. The Tibet Festival concluded with the screening of documentary film “History of Tibet” in French version. Over 250 people of all ages attended this event.–Report filed by the Tibet Bureau, Geneva
